Recipe review: Easy Sesame Chicken from Budget Bytes

Recipe here.

Oh my goodness, this was delicious. So, so good. So good. Did I mention this was so, so good? I believe I am in love with Budget Bytes. At first, I was predisposed to dislike it, because of the perky tone of the author, and expressions like "Ooey gooey" which I detest so much that I previously refused to make any recipe that used this revolting phrase. (Ditto "guilt free." I refuse to feel guilty for eating, and I resent the assumption that I'll make a recipe because it won't make me feel guilty.) But I have forgiven her everything, because the recipes at this blog are so, so amazing. I'm totally buying her book. Probably for my birthday, because I usually get at least one Amazon gift card.

This recipe for Sesame Chicken seriously tastes like something you'd get at a Chinese restaurant, and we all devoured it extremely quickly, especially Baby B, who pronounced it "Ummy." The sauce, in particular, is rather wonderful. The first time I made it, I forgot the sesame seeds, and it was still wonderful.

The only thing I'd change about this is the coating you put on the chicken. Mine didn't stick at all. It still tasted good, but I'd prefer it to stay on the chicken. So the next time I make this, I'm going to try dredging the raw chicken in cornstarch before dipping it in the egg/cornstarch mixture, in the hopes that it makes the coating stick this time. If it doesn't, the next time I might try plain flour, although I suspect that would make it too crispy. Oh well, whatever happens, this recipe is an absolute winner, and I add it to our regular rotation of recipes.

One more thing is that the estimated serving sizes are tiny. We finished off this entire recipe between the three of us, and although we are pretty greedy people, we're not extraordinarily greedy. And one of us is two years old. So. Yeah.

Recipe review: Chicken in peanut sauce from BudgetBytes.com

Recipe here.

This is a wonderfully filling, subtly flavored stew. It completely satisfied all my cravings for Asian food, without having to spend $40 plus tip to feed my hungry humans. If it's a little lacking in fire, that's all right--that's why we had some extra Sriracha on the side.

The only thing I'd change about this recipe is to add more chicken to it. This makes a lot of sauce, and it would be nicer to have an extra half-pound of chicken in there.

I served this with sides of basmati rice and steamed broccoli. I give it an A+.

Week's meal plan: Sunday, March 2, 2014

I forgot to document last week's meals and groceries. And now I have forgotten everything. Can I blame baby brain when my baby is more than two years old now?

This week, we had a decent amount of food left over from last week's shopping. Oats, yogurt, eggs, peanut butter, carrots, celery, oranges, cheese, etc. So this week's shopping, although there was a lot of it, wasn't that expensive.

This week's meals:

Breakfasts: steel cut oats with plain unsweetened yogurt and frozen berries, OR toast and eggs

Lunches: peanut butter sandwiches, carrot and celery sticks, apples

Snacks: oranges

Desserts: grapes

Dinners:
1) Chicken in peanut sauce from Budget Bytes, sides of rice and steamed broccoli (this makes a lot of sauce, so there will be leftovers for another meal)
2) Sesame chicken from Budget Bytes, sides of rice and steamed broccoli (probably no leftovers, because we are very greedy)
3) Spaghetti and beef-zucchini meatballs (made by Mr. B, so no recipe here) with homemade tomato sauce made by moi, will make lots of leftovers
4) Hamburgers made by Mr. B with whole wheat buns made by moi, side of roasted butternut squash
5) Miracle mac and cheese from Budget Bytes, side of steamed broccoli
6) and 7) leftovers

This week's groceries:

Fruits and vegetables:
Red grapes, 1.22 lb 2.78
0.75lb broccoli crowns, 0.96
2.35 butternut squash 2.30
1 lime 0.38
4.09 lbs Fuji apples 4.83
0.69 lbs zucchini 0.47
1.22 lbs sweet onions 1.20

Bulk:
Whole wheat rotelle 0.44
1 lb whole wheat spaghetti 0.99
1.08 lb unbleached flour 0.35
0.27 lb panko breadcrumbs 0.44
1.29 lbs basmati rice 2.32

Dairy:
Organic Valley 2% milk, 2 x 1/2 gallon: 6.76

Meat:
3 lbs chicken breast 7.39
3 lbs grass-fed ground beef 8.62*
1 lb mild Italian sausage 3.18

Cans:
Taste of Thai lite coconut milk 1.57**
WinCo brand diced tomatoes, 3 cans: 1.74

Frozen:
WinCo brand mixed berries 2.26

Etc:
Orowheat whole wheat bread 2.68

Total: $51.66


*We got this from our local organic co-op, because it really doesn't cost any more than the factory-farmed beef you get at WinCo and it tastes so much better. Also, we feel a bit better about eating a cow that at least got to eat grass, which sounds nicer than eating grain, from the cow's perspective at least.
**For reasons I do not understand, the full-fat coconut milk costs 50 cents more. I do not understand this. However, I don't mind lite coconut milk, so that's fine with me.

Observations: I think we did really well this week. I have a nagging feelings that I could do this so much cheaper if we ate more vegetarian or vegan meals, but Mr. B made a special request for more meat. He and Baby B just love their animal protein, I guess. Several of my friends have gone vegan for their New Year's Resolutions this year, but I can't do this (not that I really want to) because I'd have to make two separate dinners for my adorable carnivores. I still don't feel good about the amount of supermarket-brand chicken we're eating, or about the pork sausage, but at least I can feel better that we supported a kinder sort of cattle farming by buying grass-fed beef.

Further observations: I found myself scowling with irritation as I walked through the organic store on my way to get ground beef from the butcher. Here's the thing: I believe in all the same social and political and animal rights causes as the people who run that place, but there's something so insufferably smug about it. When I first moved to this town, before we had Baby B, I used to shop there a lot more often, but that was before the cost of daycare put us on severe austerity measures. I adored that shop. But these days, now that I'm counting my pennies extremely carefully, I feel judged by...well, I'm not sure, really, by my former self more than anyone else, I suppose! In the "old" days, I tried to get everything organic, and was baffled that some people didn't care about factory farms and pesticides and the like. Fast forward to today, and I'm mostly annoyed at the younger Mrs. B for her snotty, privileged assumptions that other people wouldn't all love to eat better-quality foods, and also for her failure to understand other people's different priorities. Sadly, I have resigned myself to feeding my family on non-organic produce, but my family also has to remain solvent, so we'll eat the conventionally produced stuff.

Here's what I really wonder about organic food. Is it truly better for you? I know it's better for the soil, and kinder to animals, etc etc etc. But I somehow manage to be shamelessly healthy even though I eat spinach and celery and apples that are no double steeped to the very fibers of their being in pesticides. Perhaps I will pay for this in years to come? Or maybe the whole thing is absurd and over-exaggerated. In my 20s, I honestly thought my health would fail if I didn't consume upwards of 20 vitamin pills and other supplements every day. But when I stopped taking them all, guess what happened to my health? Nothing! I'm just healthy. I read study after study that says vitamins don't do you any good, so I've more or less stopped taking those; all I take now is an iron pill because of my lifelong anemia.

I don't know what the conclusion to this is. Maybe I'm delusional to think that it's ok to feed my family what I do. Maybe I'm right. 100 years in the future, who will care?

Recipe review: Carrot, cumin and kidney bean burgers from A Girl Called Jack

One of my absolute favorite blogs is http://www.agirlcalledjack.com. Jack Monroe is a hero--she taught herself to cook on a tiny budget and her recipes are incredibly inventive and delicious. I'd been meaning to try some of them for a while, but they're in British measurements and the battery for my scales was dead and I kept forgetting to get a new one. Well, a new one has since been acquired, so I'll be trying more and more of Jack's recipes.

This one for carrot, cumin and kidney bean burgers was an obvious place to start, since it's one of her most popular. I made the recipe exactly as directed, only the bean mixture seemed a little bland when I tasted it, so I added a few pinches of salt and a grind of pepper before I assembled the burgers.

We ate them on homemade hamburger buns with some mayonnaise, ketchup, thin slices of cheddar, and some raw baby spinach. They were wonderful, with a deep, rich, savory flavor. In spite of Jack's warning that they're fragile, they didn't fall apart at all. Quite often veggie/bean burgers do fall apart, or get squished between the buns so much that they ooze out the side, but this didn't. Plus, if you don't put cheese and mayo all over them, they're vegan, and would be great for serving to vegan guests. This recipe really couldn't have been easier. Definitely one to add to our staples!

Recipe review: Miracle Mac 'n' Cheese from Budget Bytes

While reading Epicurious recently, I came across to a link to Budget Bytes, a site for budget recipes. I have spent many hours of my time trawling the internet for frugal recipes, and until now I haven't been that impressed. People seem to think that cooking frugally must include using nasty things like cans of cream of something soup, which look like vomit and smell like cat food and I don't even know what they taste like because I don't want to eat that stuff. The terribleness of frugal recipe websites was part of my inspiration for starting this blog. Well, Budget Bytes solves this problem brilliantly. Beth, the woman who writes the website, makes almost everything from scratch, and her recipes look cheap, delicious, and, best of all, entirely free from canned soups. I think she must be an amazing cook. All these recipes look like they work. I hate recipes that don't work.

The first recipe I tried was Miracle Mac 'n' Cheese. I was skeptical at first, because I didn't see how it could work. You're supposed to boil macaroni in milk? Seriously? I tried it just because I was convinced it would be a giant flop. But it was amazing! Just as easy as making the radioactive orange mac and cheese out of a box, and infinitely better. As the pasta simmers in the milk, the starch it releases helps the milk to thicken. Then you stir in your cheese and seasonings at the end. 

This is not just a time-saving recipe, it's actually the best macaroni and cheese I've made. I've been on a quest to find the perfect recipe, and I'm not at all averse to making a cheesy bechamel if that's what I have to do. But this is so, so much easier and less messy. The result is every bit as smooth and comforting as you want macaroni and cheese to be, but it doesn't sit heavily in your stomach the way some recipes do. Since the sauce doesn't have flour, it's not the giant starch trip it might otherwise be, and because of this you don't need a huge amount of cheese for it to taste good.

The only thing I'd do differently next time is to halve the amount of Dijon mustard, which did overpower the flavor a bit. However, it was still delicious, and Baby B happily ate it even though I didn't stir in any pieces of ham (her favorite food in the world). I think you could easily add a handful of frozen peas at the end, or some lightly steamed broccoli. Next time I think I might add a pinch of both thyme and nutmeg for extra savoriness.

Week's meal plan, February 7 2014

Breakfasts: steel cut oats with frozen berries and plain yogurt

Lunches: peanut butter sandwiches, apples, carrot and celery sticks.

Snacks: raw fruits and vegetables

Desserts: grapes

Dinners:
1) roast chicken with sides of steamed broccoli and peas
2) homemade pizza with leftover chicken, ham, rosemary, and mozzarella, side of steamed broccoli
3) America's Test Kitchen roasted ratatouille (not available online) with a simple risotto (makes enough for two meals)
4) macaroni and cheese with ham, peas and broccoli (makes enough for two meals)
5) some kind of lazy dinner involving soft-boiled eggs on top of basmati rice, side of peas...?

This week's groceries:

Fruits and vegetables:
Broccoli crowns 0.63
2 lbs carrots 0.98
2 zucchini 0.57
1 head celery 0.98
Eggplant 1.78
3.25 lb Gala apples 3.19
1.3 lbs onions 1.27
1 head garlic 0.48
2.73 lb green grapes 7.86

Bulk:
0.15 lb rosemary 0.39
0.2 lb cumin 0.71
0.02 lb thyme 0.57
0.68 rotini 0.57
1.38 lb rotini 0.57

Meats:
1 small chicken 7.39
2 ham steaks 1.98

Frozen:
1 lb green peas 0.95
12 oz frozen mixed berries 1.84

Dairy:
Organic Valley 2% milk, half a gallon 3.46
12 oz evaporated milk 0.98
Nancy's low fat yogurt 2.37
1 lb Tillamook medium cheddar 4.98
Frigo part skim mozzarella ball 3.68
Free range eggs 2.46

Etc:
28 can diced tomatoes 0.78
Sara Lee 100% whole wheat bread 1.98

Total: 56.33

Observations: This was moderately economical, but I guiltily wonder if we shouldn't eat so many grapes. Then again, Baby B loves them, and am I going to fuss at this child for loving fruit?

Macaroni cheese with broccoli, ham, and peas

I am on a quest. Two, actually. One is for the perfect veggie burger (I came pretty darn close with my chickpea burgers). Another is for the perfect macaroni and cheese recipe. 

I didn't like macaroni and cheese as a child. My parents used to make it with a cheesy bechamel sauce, which I found too rich and heavy. I have a certain fondness for that electric orange Kraft boxed stuff, but only when I have a hangover, and I don't have those any more now that I'm a responsible adult. 

Then I discovered this recipe, which not only tastes better, but is rather easier than making a bechamel. I adapted it from an America's Test Kitchen recipe, making a few changes and additions. The original called for tabasco sauce, which I found overpowering (plus, I much prefer sriracha). It also had three cups of cheese, which I found overwhelming. I made it a few times to get it right, and I think I managed.

Additionally, I find this a useful vehicle for getting my daughter to eat enough. I figure she's pretty good at regulating her appetite, and I never force her to eat when I think she hasn't had enough, but I've noticed that she's always in a better mood the next day if she eats a decent amount of dinner. Most people's kids will eat anything if you douse it with enough cheese, but mine isn't a cheese addict, although she likes it. Instead, Baby B will eat whatever if it has little pieces of diced ham in it. I know ham is not exactly health food, but if you use it in small amounts as a condiment, it's better than making it the focus of the meal. I mean, macaroni and cheese is hardly health food either, so.......

Serves 4 exceedingly hungry people, or stretches to two meals for our little family of two adults and one toddler.

2 cups rotini or other pasta shapes

2 oz butter (around 50g)

2 eggs

2 1/2 cups freshly grated sharp cheddar

a 12-oz can evaporated milk (don't use the non-fat stuff, it doesn't work)

1/4 teaspoon sriracha

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 ham steak, cut into tiny pieces

1 cup broccoli florets

1/2 cup frozen peas (no need to defrost)

pinch of thyme

salt and freshly ground pepper

Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted water until not quite al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, steam the broccoli lightly, adding the peas at the last minute to flash-defrost.

Mix the eggs and half the evaporated milk with the sriracha, garlic powder, thyme, and mustard, adding a few good grinds of pepper. 

When the pasta and vegetables are ready, drain them and place them back in the pasta pot with the butter over low heat until the butter melts.

Now add the eggs/milk mixture, together with half the grated cheese. Raise the heat to medium, and cook, stirring, until the sauce starts to thicken. Gradually add in the rest of the evaporated milk and cheese until the sauce is thick, hot, and creamy. Add the pieces of ham and heat through.